1st Trigger Job

[Detachment Charlie]

I just finished my first trigger job -- as in a drop in kit from Cylinder & Slide. The finished job passes all the safety checks and the trigger is SWEET...about < 4# (SWAG) & crispy. If you have the mechanical skills of a monkey, you should be ablle to accomplish this, also. This was the first time I had detail stripped a 1911.
Hey, I didn't have any parts left over!
Background:
I got a "great deal" (I've spent more $ on a holster) on what appeared to be a well-made, stainless 1911. It was a Mitchell Gold Series. I didn't know a thing about the brand, other than I had never heard about it...perhaps that should have been a clue as to what would follow. Although unknown, the pistol was tight, solid lock-up, with a bull barrel.
An internet search revealed that these pistols has a somewhat "checkered" reputation for performance. From what I could determine, the frame and slide were made by Caspian (good news) and the internals were made my child slaves, high in the mountainous border between Pakistan and Afganistan.
A trip to the range proved the internals. It had about a 50# trigger pull. This isn't an exageration. The serrated hammer was catching on the grip safety and would not release. I had to be sure to grip the pistol tightly and correctly, releasing the hammer, before it would fire with a trigger pull. The resulting trigger pull was interesting. It reminded me of dragging a '58 wheel-less Buick down a rural gravel road. It was a delisciously horrible trigger.
After reading several accounts on this and other more reputable boards, I thought, well, spend the bucks and fix it yourself. About $125 later, I sat at my workbench with the pistol and a 4.5# drop-in trigger kit from Cylinder & Slide. This kit consisted of the hammer, sear, disconnector, sear spring and main (hammer) spring.
With some false starts and a bit of fooling around and re-orienting things, the pistol was back together, passed all the safety checks (I know, I have to fire it, startign with only two rounds in the magazine, then progressing), and the resuktying trigger is fantastic.
The best part of these little adventures in knowing that I can still wield hand tools (Oh, and the Dreaded Dremmel to file down the sides of the original trigger bow) for a very satisfying result.
Try it. You have nothing to lose but $$$.

 

[sniper350]

You have nothing to lose but $$$.

Yes you do ..........

Normally, I would read this post and say nothing ..............why make people mad

There are a whole lot of installation steps that you didn't write about........ and I am only hoping that you performed them. Assembling these parts into a pistol ........and calling it good to go because the pistol seems to function OK is a very dangerous practice.

The Sear and Hammer engagement points must be carefully checked to see that the Sear is hitting the hammer hooks "Square" and even. If they are not ........ the pistol may function fine for some length of time before the un-even mating causes faster than normal wear ........and problems start - usually with a Bang !

A Gunsmith will/can check this engagement in several ways before he is satisfied the new Sear and Hammer are mated properly. I use "External mounting PINS to see how these parts fit to each other in this particular frame. You see, it is NOT unusaul to have a frame with out of Spec. sear and hammer holes drilled into the frame. These pre- fitted ignition kits assume your frame is IN SPEC. Next I will use a marking pen to coat the mating surfaces of these parts ........install them back into the pistol ........ run some function tests .........take the parts back out of the pistol and check for wear patterns. Adjustment are made until there are even contact with both hammer hooks.

I don't mean to rain on anybodys parade .............. I believe it is great to work on your own pistol ........but don't be fooled by taking short cuts........ there is a reason "Gunsmiths" are needed to create the perfect "trigger Job" and it doesn't usually happen by accident.

good luck with your pistol ........and safe shooting !


JF.

 

[Detachment Charlie]

Sniper,
I understand there's a reason why God made gunsmiths. I supposed I should have walked everyone through all of the steps and checks (yes,I checked the engagement surfaces and angles and did all of the wear pattern checks with a magic marker, lamp black and candle soot). This is firearm, not a toilet flush valve.
Did I get lucky with the install? Probably. Does this make me a gunsmith? Hell, no. But am I satisfied thus far and rather proud? You bet. This trigger project won't be finished until I've got at least 200 rounds through it; it get a teardown, and an engagement surface re-check.

 

[sniper350]

Glad to see you are on top of everything ........but I think you can see by your post above that the trigger job as you first explained it might lead a novice down a dangerous path. I know we try not to type more than we need to ........ but we must be careful not to over simplify things to a point where someone following in our footsteps might get hurt.

That was the only reason for my caution .......... these are deadly tools we are working on ......like you said - not a toilet flush valve.

You would be surprised at how many people think all you have to do with these ignition kits .......is drop them in ......... and go ! Most of the times, things are OK ....but it only takes one to go bad .....and you could have a liftime of heartache.

I appologize if it seemed like I was diminishing your accomplishment - that was not my intention. Sounds like you did a great job .......... one of many more to come . I am sure ! As a side note : If you would have listed more of the steps you followed ........you would have become an important "teacher"- a post many new owners would have printed out and saved. But I know time is a problem a lot of times, especially if you type like me


JF.